Last week marked the opening of the Yves Saint Laurent Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. I had heard about the exhibit coming to Denver, but didn’t realize what a big deal it was until I started researching the history. This event is ONLY being held at DAM, and for a very limited showing (March 25th-July 8th). Yes folks, that means that DAM is the only Museum in North America that got to host this retrospective. Pretty cool.
The curators of this show outdid themselves, each piece is presented in such a way to highlight the piece itself, but also to show how YSL’s fashion changed through the decades. When you go, be sure to stop and watch the many videos about him and his work throughout the exhibit, trust me, it’s very very educational and interesting. Also be sure to get the audio narrative box, which has some fascinating bits about YSL and the history behind his creations.
The most memorable quote of the audio was this:
“The most beautiful clothes that can dress a woman are the arms of the man she loves. But for those who haven’t had the fortune of finding this happiness, I am there.”
―
Yves Saint-LaurentPieces of note, that were quite stunning and had historical weight as well were:
1964 Cocktail Dress, as worm by Princess Grace of Monaco
1965 Mondrian Dress
The collection of long evening dresses in chiffon
1969 Evening Outfit worn by the Duchess of Windsor
Be sure to carry your visitor guide with you to check out what each piece is, the date, and a little history. We played “guess the decade” with some of the intermingled pieces, which is a fun game.
Finishing off the exhibit with the Wall of Tuxedos and the Grand Ball dresses was a really great way to highlight the impact of YSL on fashion. The pieces look effortless to wear, and could complement many various shapes and sizes.
Make an effort to get to the Denver Art Museum and see the YSL Retrospective. Even if you are a fashion novice like myself, you’ll find it fascinating!
We also stopped in and saw the small but nice Bayer show in the basement of DAM. It would have been nice to see a Colorado historic artist of his magnitude represented a little better than in the basement gallery, where no one really goes, but everyone’s a critic, right? Make sure you visit the “lower level” of the Museum after visiting YSL and check out some great pieces of Herbert Bayer on display.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
z | modern 